Jealous of my own child? Well just slightly!

When our eldest daughter announced she had decided to spend a year in Australia we were just a little concerned. We all know they must flee the nest at some point, but as a parent isn't worrying a big part of the job?

We had this picture as part of a batch she sent home today. It's the view from the office where Lori is working. Suddenly I can see why she wanted to go now!


nick

A picture tells a 1000 words

We all think it too Billy, we all think it too!


nick

Another Get Well Soon message

Those of us who are fortunate to be friends of Karen and Mike Sinclair have known for a while that things haven't been running right with regards to Karen's health. Now the diagnosis has been established, we can roll our sleeves up and get stuck into supporting them both during the future as they tackle Karen's route back to full health.

Last year I was honoured when Karen asked me to be her Agent for the Assembly Election. Simply because she's my friend way before being a Labour comrade, colleague or my Assembly Member. Her determination, honesty and no nonsense approach to problems are the very traits that I know will see her through this testing time.

nick

A Get Well Soon message

I'd like to take this opportunity of wishing Andrew Davies a speedy and full recovery. Andrew was a most welcome guest at one of our meetings last year and I'm sure I can say on behalf of the Wrexham County Labour Party, that we all send him our sincere best wishes.


nick

What's going on?

A former school friend of my wife came for dinner with us last night, having recently returned to the area after living and working abroad in mainland Europe. A local girl who went to Grove Park Girls school.

Not wanting to be fleeced when trying to sell the new car she'd bought whilst away, she had decided to drive it back home and keep it for a while. We were stunned when she recounted a tale of the horror that is driving a foreign registered left hand drive car in this country.

Nothing to do with overtaking or blind spots though, no the real horror is the vilification she's experienced from both drivers and pedestrians who spew bile at her based along the lines of 'you're not welcome here' and 'go back to your own country'. Certain hand gestures are an everyday insulting occurrence to her. That's all without the damage caused to the car's paintwork whilst it's parked outside her home by morons who deliberately damage it, presumably because of the European number plates. No doubt, those same people look forward to spending their annual holiday in the same country the car is registered in.


nick

Must Zimbabwe stay forever in crisis?

Zimbabwe’s situation strikes me as being like a gory road traffic accident. The rest of the world slows down and rubbernecks to take a voyeuristic view of its plight, yet no one actually stops to offer any help.

The eternal election continues to delve way beyond farce with the vile despot clinging to an office that hasn’t been rightfully his since March 29^th. As ‘allAfrica’ reports this morning,

“SADC, and SA in particular, should have the strongest interest in helping free Zimbabweans, but African leaders are reluctant to topple a corrupt regime lest they themselves be toppled. Calls for "smart sanctions" from Zimbabwe's neighbours, targeting the Mugabe elitists, while sparing the population (a meaningless distinction with inflation racing toward 200000%) echo what the west has done, with no effect. When UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown says Zimbabwe is in constitutional crisis, Mugabe is amused. For him, the only crisis would be genuine rule of law.”

That 200000% inflation has now led to the printing of the new Z$500m banknote. Yesterday worth US$2, today worth considerably less!

Back in December I wrote in support to the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, when he made his televised pledge to stand up for the people of Zimbabwe. It would seem that the Church is the only body actually targeting the plight of Zimbabwe and its citizens. Joined by the Archbishop of Canterbury, they issued a joint statement last month concerning the deteriorating situation of ordinary people in Zimbabwe calling for “a civil society movement that both gives voice to those who demand an end to the mayhem that grows out of injustice, poverty, exclusion and violence”.

Nations need to follow suit and do it fast.

nick

Hello and welcome to a slightly different blog

After 3 years, I felt it was the right time to clear out the old stuff from the blog and of course it needed a new name. In a few days I'll announce the reasons for the change, however in the meantime, may I say many thanks to the 10,000+ visitors who have visited the blog in its old guise.
Oh and don't forget to note the new address and change your setting.


nick